JAGATSINGHPUR: Residents of Balishai village under Balikuda panchayat on Friday took out a rally from Police Station Chowk and staged dharna in front of the collectorate demanding immediate steps to release rainwater from their areas. They threatened to intensify the stir if their demands were not fulfilled within a month.
Sources said the village gets water-logged during the rainy season as a result of which locals have to wade through deep waters if they get out of their houses. Villagers alleged that the waterlogged situation has made it difficult for them to step out of their homes. “We had taken the matter to the block development officer and the district collector several times in the past but they never paid any heed,” they rued.
Sarpanch of Balikuda panchayat Raj Kishore Sahoo said many people including children and women suffered from various diseases like cough, fever, dengue, and skin allergy after wading through the dirty waters. A senior official of the Revenue Department said since collector Parul Patwari is on leave, the villagers’ memorandum would be submitted to the district administration.